August 24, 2011

Tournament Report: Dwarves vs. Orcs & Goblins

Chokepoint is a variation on battleline that awards extra VP for getting across to the other side of the board (100 VP per unit in the enemys half of table) and for claiming the centre point of the table (army with most "models" within 12" of centre gets 250VP). Up against Neil's Goblin horde which included one unit of 80 Night Goblins, but thankfully no Fanatics although he did have a Mangler Squig which is worse - but at least you know where it is.

The scenario also included a special rule that meant everybody hated everybody, and if you already hated them then you got eternal hatred. So non-stop re-rolls every combat round for me.

Deployment pre-scouts. The ruins we played as hard cover forests. Neil would place some Orcs, a Giant and two Chariots down to the right of the swamp in the bottom left of the picture. My Rangers went down in the ruins with the big dice on top of it.
The Night Goblin Horde - 50 shots in volley fire if it didnt move!!!
Rangers deploy in charge range of Neils right flank. He gets first turn and declares a charge with all four units on that flank against the Rangers. Result ...... Orcs & Giant roll double 1's and fail to charge and only the Chariots make it in only to be slaughtered.

Meanwhile the rest of Neils army passes its animosity checks and moves forward. His Shamans also roll well on the Winds of Magic with Neil getting a 6/6 giving him 11 PD to my 9DD. But its disaster (for him) after that as a spell aimed at giving his shooting block poison attacks miscasts. The IF gives the unit the poison but the resulting Dimensional Cascade (all my opponents seemed to roll this) kills 15 Goblins and then the Shaman. I respond to Neils opening moves by charging the Rangers at his Giant, rather than the Orcs, next to it as I am certain I can kill the Giant before being flanked by the Orcs - but I cant be certain I can kill the Orcs before the Giant flanks me. Oh no - the dice gods are ignoring Neil. The Giant dies only killing 2 Dwarfs in the process, and he collapses directly onto the Orcs killing 8 of them. The Orcs then FLEE THE FIELD!!!
During the same turn my artillery has also destroyed his Rock Lobber and started targeting his other warmachines.
Neil responds by charging the pump wagon into the pursuing Dwarfs, this gives him a modicum of revenge as the Pump Wagon makes short work of the Rangers. However, they have done their job and single handedly wiped out the Orcs right flank. His shooting also takes out the Organ Gun leaving me vulnerable to the oncoming Squig herd and Mangler Squig.
Turn 3 - Goblin animosity keeps most of Neils army from moving giving me the initiative. The Miners also come on and I deploy them on my board edge to counter the Chariots and Mangler Squig move up on my right. Meanwhile to avoid being charged by the Squig herd the Warriors charge the Goblins next to them hoping to break them and overrun in the first round of combat.
The gamble pays off, the Goblins break and run after failing to kill a single Dwarf and losing 12 of their number in the 1st round of combat. The Warriors surge forward leaving the Hammerers alone to the rear.
The big melee is joined!!!!!! The Night Goblin horde and Squig Herd charge the Hammerers, leaving my Warrior unit in the rear facing the wrong way.
Meanwhile the Miners move up quickly seeking to get into flank charge position against the Squigs - hoping that the Hammerers can Stubbornly hold on. Shooting has also taken out the Mangler Squig and started to hit the remaining Chariot.
The Miners charge the flank of the Squigs as the Hammerers, down to less than 1/2 strength, valiantly hold on. Meanwhile the Warriors to the rear reposition themselves to either charge the rear of the melee or collect any fleeing Goblins.
Neil losses combat and the Night Goblins flee, only the Squig Herd who are ITP hang on still fighting to the side against the Miners. Unfortunately as the Miners are now larger in size than the Hammerers the fleeing Night Goblins dont head for the Warriors positioned behind them but off to the left of the Hammerers who fail to chase them down.
The Squigs explode as the last of them is cut down by the Miners Champion and my units advance to hold the centre of the field. The last of Neils Chariots and his pump wagon have been sniped by my Cannon and Stone Thrower and only his rallied Night Goblin horde remains. I've lost my Rangers and half my Hammerers but have secured a pretty satisfying win

OOPS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY QUARRELLERS!!!

Big lesson I learnt from this game was never stack your dead models around a live unit - my Quarrellers which had been really effective in Turns 1 and 2 suddenly disappeared from the table. Not because they were dead but because I had piled so many dead Hammerers around them that I completely forgot they were there - luckily so did Neil.